Career and Education Opportunities for Medical Assistants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

For those living in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, there are many career and education opportunities for medical assistants. About 7,120 people are currently employed as medical assistants in Wisconsin. By 2016, this is expected to grow 37% to about 9,720 people employed. This is better than the national trend for medical assistants, which sees this job pool growing by about 33.9% over the next eight years. Medical assistants generally perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of physician.

The income of a medical assistant is about $14 per hour or $29,390 per year on average in Wisconsin. In the U.S. as a whole, their income is about $13 hourly or $28,300 yearly on average. Earnings for medical assistants are better than earnings in the general category of Medical and Dental Assistance in Wisconsin and not quite as good as general Medical and Dental Assistance category earnings nationally. People working as medical assistants can fill a number of jobs, such as: optometric assistant, optometrist assistant, and ophthalmic aide.

There are thirty-nine schools of higher education in the Milwaukee area, including ten within twenty-five miles of Milwaukee where you can get a degree to start your career as a medical assistant. Medical assistants usually hold a high school diploma or GED, so it will take only a short time to learn to be a medical assistant if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Medical Assistant

Medical Assistant video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, medical assistants perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of physician. They also administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding for insurance purposes.

Medical assistants ready treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean. They also interview clients to obtain medical data and measure their vital signs and height. Equally important, medical assistants have to show clients to examination rooms and ready them for the physician. They are often called upon to help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments and materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures. They are expected to record patients' medical history, vital statistics and data such as test results in medical archives. Finally, medical assistants greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic.

Every day, medical assistants are expected to be able to articulate ideas and problems. They need to listen to and understand others in meetings.

It is important for medical assistants to inventory and order medical, lab, or office supplies and apparatus. They are often called upon to change dressings on wounds. They also contact medical facilities or departments to schedule patients for tests or admission. They are sometimes expected to run routine laboratory tests and sample analyses. Somewhat less frequently, medical assistants are also expected to greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic.

Medical assistants sometimes are asked to keep financial reports and execute other bookkeeping duties. They also have to be able to execute general office duties such as answering telephones, taking dictation or completing insurance forms and clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies. And finally, they sometimes have to authorize drug refills and furnish prescription data to pharmacies.

Like many other jobs, medical assistants must be thorough and dependable and be able to deal with stress and deal with situations calmly.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Medical Assistant Training

Milwaukee Career College - Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Career College, 3077 N Mayfair Rd Ste 300, Milwaukee, WI 53222. Milwaukee Career College is a small college located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs. It has 120 students and an admission rate of 70%. Milwaukee Career College has 2 areas of study related to Medical Assistant. They are:

Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder, less than one year which graduated 32 students in 2008.

Medical/Clinical Assistant, less than one year which graduated 143 students in 2008.

Bryant and Stratton College-Wauwatosa - Wauwatosa, WI

Bryant and Stratton College-Wauwatosa, 10950 W Potter Road, Wauwatosa, WI 53226. Bryant and Stratton College-Wauwatosa is a small college located in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs and has 650 students. Bryant and Stratton College-Wauwatosa has an associate's degree program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated twenty-five students in 2008.

Gateway Technical College - Kenosha, WI

Gateway Technical College, 3520 30th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53144-1690. Gateway Technical College is a medium sized college located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 7,587 students. Gateway Technical College has a one to two year program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated forty-five students in 2008.

High-Tech Institute-Brookfield - Brookfield, WI

High-Tech Institute-Brookfield, 440 South Executive Dr-Ste 230, Brookfield, WI 53005. High-Tech Institute-Brookfield is a small school located in Brookfield, Wisconsin. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs and has 442 students. High-Tech Institute-Brookfield has a less than one year and an associate's degree program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated five and seventeen students respectively in 2008.

Kaplan College - Milwaukee, WI

Kaplan College, 111 W. Pleasant St-Ste 101, Milwaukee, WI 53212. Kaplan College is a small college located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs and has 594 students. Kaplan College has 2 areas of study related to Medical Assistant. They are:

Medical Office Assistant/Specialist, less than one year which graduated 69 students in 2008.

Medical/Clinical Assistant, less than one year which graduated 205 students in 2008.

Milwaukee Area Technical College - Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Area Technical College, 700 W State St, Milwaukee, WI 53233-1443. Milwaukee Area Technical College is a large college located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs. It has 18,780 students and an admission rate of 54%. Milwaukee Area Technical College has 6 areas of study related to Medical Assistant. They are:

Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder, less than one year which graduated 17 students in 2008.

Sanford-Brown College, 6737 W Washington St - Ste 2355, West Allis, WI 53214. Sanford-Brown College is a small college located in West Allis, Wisconsin. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs and has 1,062 students. Sanford-Brown College has 2 areas of study related to Medical Assistant. They are:

Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder, one to two year which graduated 105 students in 2008.

Medical/Clinical Assistant, one to two year which graduated 198 students in 2008.

Concordia University-Wisconsin - Mequon, WI

Concordia University-Wisconsin, 12800 N Lake Shore Dr, Mequon, WI 53097-2402. Concordia University-Wisconsin is a medium sized university located in Mequon, Wisconsin. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 6,549 students and an admission rate of 62%. Concordia University-Wisconsin has a one to two year program in Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other Specialties which graduated twelve students in 2008.

Bryant and Stratton College-Milwaukee - Milwaukee, WI

Bryant and Stratton College-Milwaukee, 310 W. Wisconsin Avenue Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI 53203-2608. Bryant and Stratton College-Milwaukee is a small college located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs and has 800 students. Bryant and Stratton College-Milwaukee has an associate's degree program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated thirty-two students in 2008.

Waukesha County Technical College - Pewaukee, WI

Waukesha County Technical College, 800 Main Street, Pewaukee, WI 53072-4601. Waukesha County Technical College is a medium sized college located in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 6,955 students. Waukesha County Technical College has 3 areas of study related to Medical Assistant. They are:

Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder, less than one year which graduated 30 students in 2008.

Medical/Clinical Assistant, one to two year which graduated 30 students in 2008.

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other Specialties, less than one year which graduated 6 students in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Medical Assistant:
The CMA (AAMA) is considered the gold standard of medical assisting professionalism.

Certified Coding Associate:
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) recognizes that the demand for coders has never been greater, and this need is expected to continue for some years to come.

Medical Assistant:
A Medical Assistant (MA) is an integral member of the health care delivery team, qualified by education and experience to work in the administrative office, the examining room and the physician office laboratory.

Medical LabTechnician:
All laboratory professionals, including Medical Technologists, Medical Laboratory Technicians and Medical Laboratory Assistants have long played a vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease.

Donor Phlebotomy Technician:
This certification is for current Phlebotomy Technicians who take blood from patients for testing or for a blood bank, prepare samples for testing, and carry out those tests.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin photo by Towpilot

Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It has a population of over 604,477, which has grown by 1.3% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Milwaukee, 87, is well below the national average. New single-family homes in Milwaukee cost $167,400 on average, which is far less than the state average. In 2008, ninety-six new homes were built in Milwaukee, down from one hundred sixty-seven the previous year.

The three most popular industries for women in Milwaukee are health care, educational services, and finance and insurance. For men, it is administrative and support and waste management services, construction, and accommodation and food services. The average travel time to work is about 23 minutes. More than 18.3% of Milwaukee residents have a bachelor's degree, which is lower than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 6.0%, is lower than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Milwaukee is 10.6%, which is greater than Wisconsin's average of 7.7%.

The percentage of Milwaukee residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 47.5%, is less than both the national and state average. Church of the Epiphany, Saint Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church and German Full Gospel Church are among the churches located in Milwaukee. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Milwaukee is home to the Caroline Hall and the Wood as well as Cannon Park and Fifth Ward Playground. Shopping malls in the area include Juneau Village Shopping Center, Times Square Shopping Center and Grand Avenue Mall Shopping Center. Visitors to Milwaukee can choose from Edge-O-Town Motel, Manor House Hotel and Days Inn West Allis for temporary stays in the area.